Best Golf Set Configuration for Beginner Golfer

As a beginner, they may have a hard time making consistent contact with
the ball. Some common problems are contact on the heel and toe of the
club as well as topped and fat shots (i.e. hitting the top of the ball
or hitting the ground first). In short, they simply have problem hitting
the ball with the center of the clubface.

They may also have difficulty getting the clubhead back to the ball in a
square position. Their clubhead generally approaches the ball from
outside of the target line (out-to-in) and at a steep angle. That
usually means their typical shot shape is a slice - a shot that curves
right.

As beginner, their swing speed is also slow due to inexperience with
proper swing mechanics (though younger and more athletic beginners may
be an exception). For women and juniors golfer, the clubhead speed is
generally not fast enough due to lack of strength. As a result of slow
swing speed or poor contact, they have difficulty getting the ball up in
the air as well as lack of distance.

Most beginners tend to want to help the ball up by scooping under the
ball, so they frequently hit fat shots particularly with your irons.
They haven't learned that hitting down on the ball makes it go up which
is caused by that out-to-in, steep swing path.

Likewise, they are clueless in the sand. They don't realize that to get
out of the sand, they don't hit the ball but they should hit the sand
and the ball rides out on the sand.

The Ideal Set for Beginners

The beginner ideal set would be one with the goals to take care of the
swing issues and provide maximum forgiveness.

An oversized clubhead has a larger hitting area so there will be fewer
mishits will help with inconsistent contact. For irons, perimeter
weighting will help make those mishits go slightly straighter and shots
off the heel or toe to be more solid. A wide sole will slide through the
turf easier and get the ball up higher. Slightly shorter clubs will also
help to make accurate and better club-ball contact.

To help with that out-to-in swing path, an offset clubhead will get the
clubface back to the ball a little later. In other words, the clubface
will be more square to the target and not open. This will also keep the
hands a little bit in front of the clubhead which will help with those
fat shots.

For long shots from the fairway or rough a beginner may wants to choose
woods and hybrid clubs with the most loft possible with a low center of
gravity. More loft help out in getting the ball in the air and it should
go a little farther. Moreover, it will create more backspin that will
offset the side spin of shots and keep them from curving as much. The
result is a slightly straighter shot.

A beginner's driver should have a larger head (over 430cc) to increase
the size of the hitting area. Additional loft (12-15 degrees) will get
the ball in the air. Added loft once again will increase backspin and
make those left to right curves less pronounced.

Finally, putting is something that could be better with practice. It
doesn't take great athletic ability to be a decent putter. That said,
it's still not easy for a beginner to judge distances. On average, 3
putts are still quite common. Besides that, alignment is another issue
as most beginners haven't learned to keep their head directly over the
ball. More often than not, contact can still be inconsistent.

Beginner Set Configuration

Once you understand the profile of a beginner and the ideal clubs for
beginner, what is a good club set configuration for a beginner?

To begin with, a beginner does not need as many clubs. Even though,
you’re allowed to carry up to a maximum of 14 clubs by rules, but a
beginner needs no more than 10-12 clubs. Why make the game more
confusing? A new golfer, especially women and seniors, will find that
they hit many of their longer clubs about the same distance. They will
begin to hit clubs at different distances only when they get down to
their 7-PW.

The first clubs to exclude are the long irons (3, 4). Your iron set
should start with the 5 or 6 iron and go up to the sand wedge (SW). For
longer shots use lofted woods (5, 7, 9) and hybrid clubs (3, 4, 5). You
may find yourself hitting them all about the same distance, so you
should continue to experiment and test them all to discover the ones
that feel the best. Then, leave the ones that you don't hit well at
home.

Super Game Improvement (SGI) irons are the choice for maximum
forgiveness. SGI clubs will offer maximum perimeter weighting, larger
offset, a wide sole and low center of gravity. Club choices can be 6
iron through pitching wedge or 6-sand wedge. The sand wedge selection
should offer extra "bounce." Bounce is the feature on the sole of the
club that helps it easily glide through sand or rough.

The right set configuration also depends on your swing speed. Swing
speeds between 65-80 mph (for women, juniors and some seniors) will need
more woods and hybrid clubs and generally more loft to help get the ball
up in the air. Average male swing speeds of 80-90 mph can begin to add a
few more irons (5-6) but you still want to use hybrids and lofted woods
instead of long irons. Woods are always easier to hit for beginners.
Their larger heads and flat soles compared to irons create more
confidence. Slightly shortened versions of 3, 5, and 7 woods are highly
recommended for all beginners regardless of swing speed.

The driver should have a 440-460 cc titanium head. The new large headed
drivers are easier to hit even though it is the longest club in the bag.
Make sure you have extra loft to increase accuracy and distance. If you
still have problems hitting it accurately, try choking up an inch or so.

For a putter, you want one of the new large headed mallet putters. These
new putters have High Moment of Inertia (MOI) where they don't twist on
off-center hits. And their alignment aids make short putts much easier.

New deeper profile and rounder face optimizes energy
transfer to the ball so you may gain more distance without swinging
any harder. Powerful 460 cc size and thin beta Ti face technology
creates a rebound or trampoline effect that equals the USGA's limit.

Equipped with a large face and a low center of gravity the 905's
advanced features easy launch shots from even tight lies. Designed
to compliment the XP 905 Titanium Driver, the stainless steel
fairway version sports a unique beveled-cut sole design which helps
to redistribute weight for optimal launch and provides stability
through impact.

Incorporates 3 significant game improvement features
into one easy to play iron design. First, a low center of gravity
helps get the ball airborne even when the shot is a little "thin".
Second, a wide sole reduces the clubs tendency to dig in when
contact is made with the ground before the ball.

The three ball alignments system gives the golfer an optical alignment advantage equal to nothing you've seen
before. Correct set up on putts inside 10 feet is virtually guaranteed. True face balancing is achieved with a correctly engineered
double bend putter shaft set in precisely the right angle. Face balanced putters have a greater tendency to stay square at impact.